I Bet You
by SuperFinnis
Summary: Nicky Nichols is not so subtle when it comes to her crush on fellow high school student, Lorna Morello. Lucky for her, Nicky's best friend, Alex Vause, makes a bet that Morello is unattainable. And well, Nicky's got a reputation to uphold. Nicky/Lorna.
1. Deal

**Author's note:** So I wanted to try my hand at writing Nichorello because I have become total shipper trash for these two. I got the prompt of a high school AU from crazy-fangirl123 on Tumblr. I've also never written for Alex or Lorna (however, she doesn't show up that often yet in this chapter), so I hope I did justice! Please leave a review and let me know if this story/my writing is anywhere near decent enough to keep going and bringing Lorna's side of things into it! Also, if you have any Nichorello prompts you think I could pull of, let me know! I'm on such a kick of inspiration. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Nicky leaned back against the cold metal handle of her high school's front steps. Her fingers trying to unlace a gnarly knot in her headphones. She'd mastered the art of untangling headphones before, a treacherous feat for any music lover, so she allotted herself some time to watch the crowd pile out of the front door and spill into the streets. She hadn't even gone to 6th period, deciding how absolute bullshit it was and that the streets of Manhattan were much more educational. However, it was tradition that she walk home with her best friend, Alex Vause, at the end of each day and she was always loyal to her traditions. Besides, walking with Vause meant not having to go home, but instead spending hours in the city with someone who actually gave two shits about her.

She glanced down to make sure she was actually making good headway in the headphone hornet's nest, when she felt another cool breeze of fellow students quickly walking past her to get as far away from the shit hole of a high school as they could. This breeze, however, came with an oh so recognizable voice, laced with a heavy Brooklyn accent, that caused Nicky's head to shoot up and watch Lorna Morello and her gang of friends going smaller with each step.

Lorna Morello, according to Nicky, was by far the hottest girl in school. Dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, a different shade of red lipstick nearly every day, and the cutest fucking accent that caused Nicky to flip head-over-heels whenever she pronounced something incorrectly. She ran with the more popular crowd; girls who spent their time in bright pink clothes, talking about make-up and cute boys. Nicky ran with the burnouts. Dark clothes, hoods covering every aspect of their face, talking about cool bands and whatever random shit their smoked out brains could think of.

"Aww, Nichols and Morello sitting in a tree," a husky voice from behind her started to sing.

Nicky rolled her eyes, finally breaking her stare on the small brunette who was waiting eagerly at the edge of the sidewalk with her friends, probably trying to decide whose house to go to.

Alex Vause took a seat next to her friend on the steps; her dark eyes peered through black rimmed glasses in the direction of Lorna.

"You're fucking pathetic, you know that?" Alex stated, turning her gaze to Nicky with a grin.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Come on. Like everybody in the world isn't totally oblivious to the fact you've got a little school girl crush on her."

"Yeah, sure. I just sit here daydreaming about romantic dinners and falling in love under a full moon," Nicky replied sarcastically. "I don't do _crushes_ , alright? You know that. No giggling whenever someone mentions her or writing little hearts around her name in a notebook bullshit. I think she's hot, that's it."

"Right, okay, sounds an awful lot like your bullshit defense mechanism for _'Oh, I'm soooo in love with that cute little Brooklyn drama nerd'_ ," Alex had started to over exaggerate a fairly awful impression of Nicky.

"She's not a drama nerd."

"Sorry, she's just been in every school play since freshman year. Which, y'know, would be more charming if she could actually act. God help us if this school ever puts on a musical."

"Yeah and the only way you know this shit is because you're on yearbook committee, which is way fucking worse than drama," Nicky teased.

"I like photography," Alex defended herself.

"Yeah, how many of those pictures end up with Chapman ' _accidentally_ ' in frame?"

"That's fucking stupid. I'm not gay."

"Suure," Nicky had started to pull herself up off the step, "sounds an awful lot like your bullshit defense mechanism for _'Damn, Nichols! You got me!'_ ," she flashed a wide grin, which Alex couldn't help but return, before heading down the steps, Vause slowly following behind.

While Alex and Nicky matched in personality, there was one thing that separated them. Nicky's mother (if you could call her that) was filthy rich, and Alex's wasn't. She wasn't able to dress up in fancy clothes like most of the other higher up kids, added to the fact that everyone suspected Alex to be a closeted lesbian, she for the most part was banished to the burn out crowd with Nicky, despite never actually engaging in a majority of their activities.

Nicky knew Alex better than she knew herself (and vise versa) and probably realized before the girl herself that Vause had an everlasting crush on head cheerleader, Piper Chapman, who also happened to be on the yearbook committee. Smooth, Vause.

"I bet you 10 bucks you can't hook up with Morello," Alex chimed in as the two sauntered their way through Central Park, an assortment of snack foods in all four hands.

"Y'know, that's a little insulting. Do you really doubt my abilities that much?"

"Trust me; I've seen your _abilities_ in action far too many times to ever doubt them anymore. But she's straight as a line and probably is _really into_ the Notebook," she accented 'really' and 'into' as if she were Lorna herself, talking about something in a fashion magazine.

"Man, The Notebook is total romanticized bullshit, alright? Nobody kisses in the rain, you'd catch a cold and there's nothing fucking romantic about being sick 'cause you couldn't go the fuck inside."

Alex laughed. "You see?"

Nicky turned her head to look at her friend, realizing she'd just totally proven Alex's point, and cracked a crooked smirk.

"Yeah, alright, whatever. Point made. Doesn't mean shit though, I'm not taking the bet."

"Scared?"

"Fuck no. It just seems like a crap ton of work for 10 fricking bucks."

Alex stopped in her tracks and turned to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just go get mommy to raise my allowance by a couple hundred dollars."

Nicky too stopped, her body facing Alex but her eyes dare not. She tried best she could to never mention money around Alex, knowing how tight things were for her and her mother, whilst on the other hand all Nicky had was money. Although Nicky on occasion would offer some to Alex whenever she needed it, it always turned out that Alex was too proud to take someone else's. Even if it was her best friend's.

"I'm sorry," Nicky replied, "You know I didn't mean it like that. I'm just lazy."

"Yeah, I know. It's fine."

"Look, fuck money, alright? I'll take the bet because now that I think about, I kinda wanna know what my name sounds like when it's being moaned in that accent," she grinned.

"You're fucking disgusting," Alex smirked, pushing Nicky back by her shoulder.

"Hey, that's why ya love me!"


	2. Some Great Plan

Alex entered the cafeteria and quickly found her best friend lounging next to a couple of the potheads, boxes of donuts scattered in front of them. It was a shame they didn't have any classes together before lunch, because Alex was dying of curiosity to know whether or not Nicky had started to move in on their bet. She walked up to the table and sat across from her friend. Nicky was staring at a half eaten donut in her hand.

"Man, how fucking cool are donuts? This little bite mark was at the top and now it's at the bottom. I'm eating in circular patterns. My first bite was also my last bite," Nicky said as she noticed Alex sitting down.

Alex furrowed her eyebrows and smirked, "Are you stoned?"

"Hey!" Nicky exclaimed, like she'd just made the world's greatest discovery, and pointed a finger at Alex, "Stones are circular too!"

"Okay, let me rephrase the question," Alex sighed, pushing up on her glasses, "Are you high?"

"Yeah," Nicky laughed.

Vause shook her head, still the residue of a smirk painted in her expression.

"Whatever," she chuckled, "I need the dirt. You make any headway with Morello yet?"

"Oh yeah, it went sorta like this, 'Hey Morello, I was uhhhh, I mean… I gotta… go.'"

"Damn, Nichols struck out?" Alex couldn't help but grin; what a day to be alive.

"Hey hey hey, I didn't strike out, alright? I just thought, y'know, the hallway thing's so cliché. I gotta better idea anyway."

"Fine, whatever," Alex said with pure amusement in her voice.

Suddenly, she caught sight of the small brunette they were just talking about taking a seat at the other end of the cafeteria.

"Hey, check this out," she nudged Nicky, not-so subtly pointing in Morello's direction.

Nicky turned around and saw Lorna who had just made herself comfortable on the hard cafeteria bench. Next to her sat Christopher, the man everybody knew as Lorna's insane crush. He was tall and blonde and played football, which made Nicky's stomach turn.

"Fucking _Christopher_ ," Nichols said, her voice mimicking Lorna's high pitched accent. "What an asshole."

"And he's total cliché high school jock, which is fucking annoying. If this school ever becomes anymore like Glee just please fucking kill me," Alex uttered as she turned her gaze down to a donut she instinctively grabbed. "I don't get what she sees in him."

Nicky froze for a minute, staring at Alex in silence, a grin tugged at the corner of her lips.

"What?" Alex had noticed Nicky's stare.

"You're literally in love with the _tall, blonde,_ _cheerleader_."

Vause slit her eyes. She had a point, but she wouldn't admit it.

* * *

"Hey, uh, Luschek. Brought you a donut."

Nicky casually sauntered her way into her English Lit. class where her lazy ass teacher rested his _lazy ass_. She set the donut down on the table and Luschek eyed it.

"Oh yeah? What's it laced with?" his eyes shifted to look up at her.

"Yeah, like I'd really get away with that. Look, I got a proposition for ya. I know you're not big on the whole 'actually doing stuff that validates having a teachers license' thing, but this is real important. Y'know, it's a real opportunity for you to actually help one of your students."

"What is it?"

Nicky leaned onto his desk, deciding to cut the bullshit. "I know we got this big ass project coming up and we pick partners today. How about, instead of being too lazy to actually assign them, you do _and_ you put me with Lorna Morello."

"What's in it for me?"

"I brought you a donut!" she exclaimed, her face twisted in between annoyance and shock at what an idiot he could be sometimes.

"Yeah, I don't NEED you to bring me donuts. I'm an adult. With money."

"Fine, how about you do this little favor for me and I won't tell Principle Caputo that every day instead of teaching, you assign us a shit ton of pages to read by ourselves so you can go smoke pot in your car."

"How do you know about that?" he lowered his voice now, which amused Nicky because she was certain almost everybody knew his dirty little secret.

"Whose friends you think you're buying it from?"

Luschek sighed. "Fine, but this makes us even. You can't use the pot thing against me in any future briberies."

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's not too hard to find more dirt on ya, huh?"

* * *

It was time for English class, which was Nicky and Alex's favorite. Not only did they share it together, but Luschek was hands down the most entertaining of all their teachers, for obvious reasons. Not to mention, the one productive thing Luschek ever did was assign seats in alphabetical order, leaving Nicky's seat right behind Lorna's.

The two friends strolled into the classroom, late (not that Luschek cared, because he wasn't even there yet himself), and separated to their own seats. Lorna was there already, touching up her make-up in a little handheld mirror. Nicky didn't ever do much in regards to make-up; some mascara and maybe a little powder if she was feeling up for it, but she couldn't help find Lorna's concentration when applying her lipstick absolutely adorable. She would squint her eyes and maneuver her face in ways Nicky didn't think possible, ensuring it looked right with every possible shape her face might make.

Luschek stumbled into the classroom right as Nicky had taken her seat.

"Mr. Luschek, you're late!" Nicky sternly quipped. The other students laughed and Luschek shot her a lazy look.

"Ha-ha. Cute. Right, so-" he went on to assign the reading for the day.

It didn't take long before the hour was half way over and Luschek finally announced it was time to assign partners for the upcoming project. Nicky sat up in her seat, hoping he had remembered in his boozy haze to assign her to Morello as previously agreed. Everybody, but Lorna and a few others, noticed how out of place this 'assigning' was for Luschek. Alex noticed it immediately and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

He began to ramble off names until finally, "Nichols and Morello."

Nicky grinned proudly as Lorna turned around and gave her a smile and a pat on the hand, her silent way of saying ' _we're partners!_ '

Alex knew something had been up, but when she heard Nicky and Morello's names being called together she shook her head and smirked. _Of course_. Luschek would NEVER bother to actually assign partners. This had Nicky Nichols written all over it. She leaned forward, no longer needing to listen as her name had already been paired with some flat nosed guy from across the room, and ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook. Scribbling something down, she crumpled it into a ball and threw it at Nicky's arm. After all, there's no way she would've felt it through that tangled mane had Alex aimed for her head.

Nicky, who had just started up a conversation of whispers between Lorna and herself, felt something beat against her arm. Morello saw the ball fall to the ground and, as Nicky angrily turned her attention away from the brunette, she had turned around with a smirk of her own, pretending she saw nothing. Nicky grabbed the paper ball and unrolled it.

 **I thought you were avoiding clichés? Some great PLAN.**

Nicky was moments away from turning around to mouth something to Vause when Luschek interrupted.

"What is that, Nichols?" he asked, irritated but not really

Everyone in the class turned to face her.

"A note. Would you like to read it, Mr. Luschek? For the whole class to hear?" she somehow managed to reply with just the right amount of innocence and sarcasm.

"Yeah, I really don't care that much," Luschek mumbled. "Okay, you've all got your partners. So uh… partner up and talk about stuff and then leave, I guess."

"We've still got ten minutes on the clock," Lorna pointed her pencil toward the classroom clock.

"Yeah, sooooooo, either take ten minutes to talk or have fifteen minutes in the hallway before your next class." And with that Luschek was out. Alex and Nicky exchanged amused glances.

Everybody began packing up their stuff when Lorna turned around to face Nicky again.

"So, Nichols, as I was sayin', we really should meet up somewhere after class and talk about what we wanna do. I have no clue. Do you?"

"Eh, I've got a couple ideas," she replied cunningly. Nicky was standing up now and Lorna was too, although Nicky didn't think she really noticed. Taking advantage of the moment, Nicky draped her arm over Lorna's shoulder.

"I know! You could meet me outside the theatre after my drama class and we could talk stuff. It's perfect 'cause somethin' 'bout lettin' out my emotions really gets my creative flow goin', y'know?" she had started making motions with her hands as if trying to push a creative flow through her body as she spoke. "I betcha I'll have loads of ideas then."

"Yeah, sure, kid, that sounds good."

Alex followed loosely behind them, rolling her eyes, picking up every word they said. Un-fucking-believable.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Okay, so I HAD to add Luschek as a teacher because I've always loved Nicky and Luschek's interactions on the show despite what happened in S3. Also, I promise there will be more Lorna in the next chapter. It's starting to kick off now and I'll write a lot of cute fluffy scenes between them now. Which also means my next chapter will be longer, because it's going to be loooots of Lorna/Nicky getting to know each other. I am also going to try and upload a chapter each day, but I am currently in the process of moving, so there may be a day or two where I don't. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Fun fact:** The donut thing Nicky rants about in the beginning was an actual thought I had while eating donuts the other morning. I swear I wasn't high though.


	3. Eat Like A Horse

"I don't know how I can even be surprised by you, anymore," Alex huffed as she leaned back against the brick wall just outside the theatre.

Nicky, arms crossed, leaned next to her. She had the biggest grin on her face, feeling the victory despite not actually achieving the ultimate goal yet.

"And now, thanks to you, I have to do my English Lit. project with some stupid kid I've never even talked to before."

"Hey man, you started this thing," Nicky chimed in, "Now you're just a pawn in my little game."

"What, and Morello's the Queen?"

"Y'know, when I win this, I think I should have you stand up and announce to everyone in Central Park that ' _Nicky Nichols is the sexiest, coolest person alive who can have any woman she desires while I, Alex Vause, am not_.'"

"You're pretty fucking cocky for someone who hasn't actually won yet. Just because you're forcing her to hang out with you doesn't mean she's down to fuck. Not with her _pretty pretty_ boyfriend running around."

Nicky pushed off from the wall and turned on her heels to look back at Alex; her arms uncrossed and held out in the air as if they were going to stop Alex from talking.

"Don't doubt me, alright? There's a method to my madness. It's easy sailing from here on out. And y'know if Chapman was in our class I would've got Luschek to partner you two up," she tried to reason.

"Thanks," Alex added, unimpressed.

Just then, the theatre door swung open and a group of students poured out. Nicky tried to look as casual as possible as Morello finally made her grand entrance.

"Oh, Nichols, you're here," Lorna said as she caught the sight of her project partner.

"Told ya I'd be, didn't I? How was your drama thing?"

"Oh, it was good! Ar-" she paused when she saw Vause, who was still leaning against the wall behind the door. "Is she comin' with us?"

"Nah nah, she's just leaving. She's got her own shit to do, right Vause?" Nicky shot her friend a sharp look.

"Yeah," Alex grinned, shaking her head slightly as she pushed off against the wall. As she walked passed Nicky, she couldn't help but lean in and whisper, "Like throwing up," in her friend's ear, just loud enough that Lorna was able to catch what she'd said.

"What, is she bulimic or somthin'?" Lorna had asked when Vause was out of hearing distance.

"Nah, she just had too many tacos at lunch, y'know?"

Lorna gave Nicky an all-knowing look accompanied with an ' _egh_ ' that escaped from the side of her red lips. Nicky couldn't help but chuckle a little.

They started to casually walk to Lorna's locker, Nicky automatically assuming she needed to put something away or take something out.

"Hey, you ever been to Red's?" Nicky glanced to the girl who was walking beside her.

"You mean that little Russian joint in Queens with the scary chef lady?"

"Yeah – Red."

"Oh sure, whatta 'bout it?"

"Well, you said we should go hang out somewhere after class, figured we go there. I gotta special little discount there, so if you're hungry we could eat too."

"Hungry? Oh," Lorna had placed a hand on her stomach, "I'm starvin'! I'm so hungry I could eat like a horse."

Nicky furrowed her brows, "You mean, you're so hungry you could _eat a horse_?"

"No, no," Morello pointed a finger in the air and methodically tapped the empty space with each 'no', "I think it's eat like a horse. 'Cause they're so big, they gotta eat a lot, y'know?"

They had arrived at Lorna's locker and she started to open it whilst Nicky leaned her shoulder against the neighboring locker.

"Yeah, they're so big, so you're- y'know what? Nevermind. This wouldn't even be a question if we had an actual English teacher."

Lorna giggled and Nicky swooned.

"So what do ya say? Wanna go?"

"Yeah, sure," Morello pulled out her purse and tucked it under her arm.

* * *

"Hey, ma!" Nicky shouted as she and Lorna entered the small restaurant.

"Nicky!" Red had joyously shouted as she began to make her way out from behind the counter.

Lorna leaned over to Nicky and whispered, "She's your mom?"

"Figuratively," she responded.

Red approached the pair with open arms and once the gap between them was closed, rested her hands down on Nicky's shoulders. "My daughter, how was school today?"

Nicky shrugged, "Eh, same old same old."

Red nodded her head as her eyes shifted to Lorna.

"Oh, uh, ma, this is Lorna Morello," and as Nicky spoke those words a sly smile tugged at Red's lips (she had heard of Lorna Morello and her daughter's admiration of her from Alex, of course). Nicky noticed the look on her mother figure's face and figured she'd better explain before Red made anything too apparent.

"We're partners," no that definitely didn't sound any better, "In a project. For school."

Red tilted her head back but refused to wipe the smile away, "I see," she mused.

"Yeah, so uh, we needed a place to come… talk about our project. And I thought, y'know, Red's. And maybe you'd make us some of that awesome Russian bread thing I love so much but can never pronounce."

" _Vatrushka_."

"Yeah, that."

"Ooh, that sounds yummy," Lorna piped in. "I was just tellin' Nichols how I'm so starved I could eat like a horse!"

Red raised an eyebrow at the small girl, but dare not question it. "My food is very filling. You will be full horse in no time. You two, sit. I'll get you something."

"Thanks, Red, you're the best," Nicky winked at her as she began to walk back to her kitchen.

"Come on, kid," Nicky tapped Lorna's shoulder and directed her over to an empty table where they sat down.

Lorna put both her arms on the table and leaned in toward Nicky, "What's figuratively mean?"

"It means the opposite of literally, which me-"

"I know what the _word_ means!" Lorna interrupted Nicky, who began to grin ear to ear. "What's it mean in terms of she's figuratively your mother? You don't got a real ma?"

"According to the DNA results, I do, but it sure as fuck don't feel like it."

"So how'd ya meet Red?"

"My nanny-" Lorna's eyebrows shot up and a smirk snuck its way onto her lips, the idea of Nicky Nichols with a nanny was too brilliant to picture.

"You had a nanny, Nichols?" her voice was low, trying to poke fun at her.

"Hey, you want the story or not?" Nicky shot back, her grin still spread over her face. Lorna pressed her lips together hard, making it clear for Nicky that she wasn't going to do anymore talking or interrupting.

"That's better. So, my nanny would bring me here when I was younger on days when I exhausted her too much she didn't feel like cooking-"

Lorna's eyes grew soft as Nicky told her this story of herself. Nobody really knew much about Nicky, other than she had a good track record with girls, would occasionally get high, and had a skill to bite back with the quickest, snarkiest remark at any point in time. Lorna almost felt proud of herself for being the person that Nicky told this story to.

"She was trying to get me to experience 'all the foods of the world' or something like that. For Russia, we ended up here. And then I guess Red and I hit it off or somethin'. I've been coming around to see her nearly every day since I was like eight."

"Hasn't she got kids of her own?"

"Yeah, she's got three boys. But they're a couple years older than me and total morons. Even Red'll admit to that."

Lorna laughed into the side of her hand, which was now propped up by her elbow on the table top. Nicky laughed too, but purely because Lorna's was contagious.

"And your mom don't mind?" Lorna asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah right, she's probably so fucking grateful to Red for taking me off her hands half the time. Now she's justified for takin' off with her dumbass boyfriend to Brazil every week 'cause it's not abandonment if someone's paying attention to your kid, right?" Nicky's words cut harsh through her voice, but she tried to act like it didn't matter or she just didn't care.

Lorna's eyes got sad, however. She didn't know how or why, but she was able to see right through Nicky's cover up. She knew that even if Nicky acted like it wasn't a big deal, it _was_.

She reached across the table and grabbed Nicky's hand, giving it a light squeeze and flashing a comforting smile. "At least ya got someone, right? You've got Red and Vause. Everybody's gotta have someone."

Nicky wasn't sure how to react to Lorna taking her hand. She had felt a shiver run down her spine, but she attributed it to being cold. Even if it was unconditionally hot for this time of year and Red didn't believe in air conditioning. Something felt nice about it though; being touched so softly and gently by someone. And Nicky smiled. But not her normal half smile half smirk that was so strictly Nicky Nichols. This was the most genuine smile she had ever had. And she knew how obviously ridiculous it was of her because she looked away, knowing that if she didn't look at Lorna she would be able to wipe it off.

"Two Vatrushkas!" Red broke the tender moment between the two to bring them their plates and a couple glasses of milk.

Nicky was actually a little thankful for Red's untimely return. It gave her a chance to get back in her head. She had been floating on air for the last few seconds.

Morello pulled her hands back to make room for the plates, as did Nicky.

They had spent the next few hours talking and eating. Neither of them had noticed how fast time was flying or that they hadn't even began to discuss their project. They talked about themselves, their friends, school (Lorna gave Nicky the whole rundown on all the gossip), the food (which Nicky couldn't help but notice Lorna shoveling in. She teased her; "Damn, kid, you could've eaten two horses." And Morello had to reply with, " _Like_ two horses."). They talked about music and TV shows and movies and Lorna managed to lay down the entire plot of West Side Story (no spoilers, she needed Nicky to see it for herself). It didn't feel like long before Red had come over to redirect their attention to the clock.

"It's late. You two run home. You're parents must be worried sick, Lorna. And Nicky, you know I don't like you walking around the city at night. Go!"

The two followed Red's instructions and left, but they did not go home. They walked around in the park for a little bit. They went and got ice cream (because somehow after their hours of snacking, Lorna still had room for ice cream). They went into a couple of stores and looked around a bit.

* * *

It was well past dark when they finally decided they'd better call it a night. Nicky offered to take Lorna home, but she refused.

"No, it's so far away for you. You don't really wanna go all the way to Brooklyn and back tonight."

"Who says I gotta come back? We could have a slumber party," Nicky flashed her a devious smirk as she pushed out her bottom lip with her tongue. Morello squinted her eyes and shot Nicky a look.

"Alright, alright. No slumber party. Look, I really don't mind taking you home. I've got nothin' else to do tonight, anyway."

It was a mix of wanting to spend just a little more time with Lorna and not wanting to go home to an empty apartment that had inspired Nicky's act of chivalry.

In the few hours they had gotten to know each other, it had become very apparent to Lorna that Nicky was stubborn beyond belief and she would never win this battle. And really, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Alright. I gotta admit, I get kinda nervous on the subway at night, anyway."

Nicky smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't worry, kid. I've got your back."

They were just a few blocks from Lorna's place.

"Oh! We didn't talk about our project!" Lorna had exclaimed out of nowhere.

"Eh, we'll do it next time. Maybe tomorrow."

Lorna turned her body toward Nicky, a taunting smirk on her bright red lips. "Nichols, are you askin' me to hang out with you tomorrow?"

"Well, we gotta figure something out for this project, don't we?" Nicky attempted to defend herself, but was chuckling lightly at how obvious her cover up was.

"I'll let ya know tomorrow at lunch, okay? I probably won't be allowed outta the house after comin' home so late tonight."

"You gonna get in trouble?"

Lorna nodded.

"Shit, why didn't you tell me? I would've brought you back a lot sooner."

"No," Lorna's hand jumped to place on Nicky's arm and she was now slowly walking sideways as the two continued on, "I don't regret bein' out this late with ya! I had a lotta fun with you today. I've never had this much fun before."

The way Lorna's voice sounded, desperate when trying to convince Nicky she didn't regret staying out, but sad when she mentioned never having a day like this before, it was clear to Nicky they suffered a similar fate. She was lonely.

Nicky nodded at her, giving her a weak smile. She didn't want Morello to think she suspected anything of her, but deep down Nicky had never felt more connected to a person. She would never admit it, but something about being with Morello was just so simple and comforting. Nicky always felt the need to impress people, even Alex, but with Lorna she didn't. She could just chill, which was a strange feeling for her.

"This is it," Lorna had said, pointing up to a light blue house. Few lights were on, which told Nicky just how late it actually was.

"Hey look, if you really think you're gonna get in trouble, I'll come in and help ya explain things. Maybe they 'd feel better about you being gone so long if they knew someone was with you, y'know?"

"No no!" her voice reached a pitch so high it almost made Nicky jump. Lorna realized how abrupt that was and tried to recover quickly, "I mean, everybody's probably asleep already, so there's no reason to wake 'em up. It's okay, really. I'll see ya tomorrow at lunch, okay?"

Nicky could see right through Lorna's mask. Between the way she reacted and the few lights that were still lit, she could tell the smaller girl was lying, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe she just didn't want her family to know who she was hanging out with. Nicky knew she could come on quite strong, but it stung a little bit. Lorna could sense it, no matter how hard Nicky tried to act cool with it. The brunette took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Nicky, embracing her in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad I got to know you, Nicky."

With that, all of Nicky's self destructive thoughts disappeared as quick as they came. Lorna took a step back and gave the sweetest, gentlest smile and Nicky was thankful she was close enough to be able to see it in the dark.

Nicky wasn't sure where it came from, but something about this quiet moment forced her to ask the question that repeatedly shoved its way into her head.

"Who've you got, Lorna? I mean, you were right. Everybody's gotta have someone. You've got someone, right?"

"Oh," Lorna said quietly, her head tilting down so she was no longer looking at Nicky. "Well, sure, I mean… I've got Christopher."

Those words tore through Nicky's body, her head, her chest. Trying to keep herself from sounding hurt, she decided to play dumb.

"He's your boyfriend?" Nicky's addiction to mentally harming herself was kicking in again.

"Sorta. I mean, not yet," Lorna's voice was soft.

"What does 'not yet' mean?"

"It means the opposite of yet," Lorna cracked a small smile and so did Nicky, remembering back to hours before when she had pulled the same joke on Morello.

"Ah, I got you!" Lorna proudly chirped. "It's gotta happen. Me and Christopher, I mean. It's meant to be. I knew it ever since we looked at each other at Winter Formal last year. Just like Tony and Maria."

"He's been runnin' you around for a _year_?" Nicky asked, suddenly feeling angry.

"No, it's not like that. He's shy. I know, I know, most people think football players are tough and outgoing, but Christopher's the exception. He's really sweet and romantic."

Nicky didn't say anything, just nodded. She was afraid if she spoke, her big mouth would end up making Lorna upset. She clenched her jaw instead.

"Goodnight, Nichols. I'll see ya tomorrow," Lorna rubbed Nicky's shoulder before turning around and walking up the first couple steps of the stairway to her building.

"Hey, Morello," Nicky called out after her, causing Lorna to stop dead in her tracks and turn around, looking for the face to match the voice through the shadows. "If it were me, I would've asked you the second I saw you at that dance."

Lorna looked down, trying to hide her face; hoping that it was too dark for Nicky to see her blush.

* * *

"She's fucking crazy," Alex said through the phone. Nicky had called her the second she got home from Morello's, the incessant need to rant about Christopher and what Lorna had told her. "One glance from some guy at a school dance and suddenly they're soul mates? Kid's got issues."

"She thinks its West Side Story."

"She's got issues _and_ she watches too many romance movies. You're so fucked."

"No, Alex, it isn't her fault. This Christopher guy is playing her."

"Well, you of all people should know. But I think you're overreacting. There's no way fucking _Christopher_ cares enough to play someone around for a _year_."

"He's an asshole!"

"Yeah, the thing with asshole's is that they typically don't care that much. Exhibit A: Luschek. Exhibit B: You."

"Exhibit C: _You_."

"I'll give you that," Alex shrugged on her end of the line.

"I'm gonna have a talk with Christopher tomorrow."

"Jesus, Nicky, that's by far the stupidest idea you've ever had. And that's saying a lot given your choice of friends. Just, fucking calm down. Lorna Morello is a big girl. She can handle herself."

"Not when she's got her head in the clouds and knows every fucking lyric to One Hand, One Heart."

"The fact that you even know the title to that song makes it abundantly clear you've lost your goddamn mind. Get some sleep, you'll be over it in the morning."

"I'm still gonna talk to him, Vause."

"Okay, if you're so bent on doing something you'll obviously regret later, at least wait until after lunch so I can take one last crack at trying to put some sense in your head. Deal?"

" _Fine_."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long to post today! I'd also like to note that this is really my first time writing for Lorna, so if I'm doing horribly, please feel free to yell at me. Morello, next to Nicky, is my favourite character, so I want to do her justice. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned, the game has just begun, my friends.


	4. Oscar Worthy

The next day, Nicky stormed her way into the cafeteria over to where Alex sat. She'd been thinking about the whole Lorna/Christopher thing all night and it was driving her crazy. Why Nicky felt such a strong urge to destroy Christopher, she didn't know. But there were a lot of things Nicky felt or did without her understanding why.

Alex was peeling an orange when her eyes lifted to look over her friend. She knew immediately that Nicky wasn't over what they'd talked about last night.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're still wrapped up in this?"

"What can I say? I'm great at holding a grudge."

"He didn't even do anything to you. Or Morello, apparently. Your problem is you're irrational and stubborn, and those are two personality traits that definitely shouldn't go together."

Just then, Lorna had approached their table.

"Hi!" she said to Alex, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows; confused as to what the fuck was going on here.

Lorna didn't seem to notice Alex's confusion, because she immediately turned to Nicky once she'd put her tray down on the table in front of her.

"So, Nichols," she started, taking her seat. "You think of anything for our project yet? 'Cause I was thinkin' Romeo and Juliet-"

"You would," Alex mused under her breath.

Lorna heard her, however, and looked at her through the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, kid, that sounds good, but don't you think Romeo and Juliet's a little overdone? I mean, everybody's gonna be doing that."

"Oh, well, maybe, but not everybody's gonna be actin' it out, are they?"

Alex's hand flew up to her mouth, trying best she could not burst into laughter and ruin the couple's _sweet little chat_. But the idea of Nicky Nichols reenacting Romeo and Juliet was the icing on the cake of this whole thing.

Nicky knew what Alex's sudden movement meant and gave her an irritated glance.

"Y'know, this probably isn't the best place to talk about this. What'd your parents say? You think you'll be able to come to my place after school?"

"Oh sure, long as I'm back before dinner."

"Cool," Nicky said as she gave Lorna a small smile. Then, her eyes focused on Christopher, who was now leaving the cafeteria.

"I'll meet you outside the theatre," she offhandedly stated to Morello before standing up and following Christopher's slimy path into the hallway.

"Where's she goin'?" Lorna asked, noticing Alex looking rather annoyed.

"Romeo's gone to slay the dragon."

* * *

"Hey meathead!" Nicky called out as she followed behind Christopher.

He turned around to see where the voice had come from when he saw Nicky approaching him.

"Who? Me?" he asked, appalled.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Going to my lock-"

"With Lorna Morello."

"Lorna Morello?" Christopher's voice went up a level and his face lit up in amusement. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Nicky didn't remove the stern glare on her face, but her eyebrows did furrow at his reaction.

"I'm not doing _anything_ with her. Alright? Did she tell you something?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried. "She's insane. She follows Miranda and me around like she's tethered to us or something. It's weird."

"Miranda? Wait wait wait, you mean Morello's friend Miranda?"

"She's my girlfriend. And they're not friends. Lorna Morello doesn't have friends, okay? Do yourself a favor and ignore her, otherwise you'll never get rid of her."

Christopher was done with this conversation as quickly as it had begun, so he turned around continued walking to wherever he was headed before Nicky stopped him.

Nicky stood there for a second, trying to process what he said. All she could really think was _'maybe I don't want to get rid of her'_.

* * *

Nicky waited just outside of the theatre door for Morello to meet her. She didn't go and see Alex after her talk with Christopher. She just knew Alex would push her into giving her the details and it wasn't something Nicky wanted to talk about. Not only because she knew Alex would tease her about being right, but because it wasn't something she felt anyone needed to know. Lorna was clearly trying to cover something up, but whatever it was, it was hers to keep covered. Alex didn't need to know. And as far as Lorna's concerned, Nicky doesn't know either.

"Hey," Lorna's methodical voice cut through Nicky's distant thoughts. She hadn't realized she was so caught up in her head until Morello had snapped her out of it. "You okay there, Nichols?"

"Yeah, sure. You ready?"

* * *

Two week had gone by. Lorna at some point had managed to convince Nicky into doing a reenactment for their project on the condition they do something other than Romeo and Juliet. The two had hung out every day since their first night on the town. Alex had even joined them on some of their excursions, ultimately deciding Morello wasn't _that_ bad. Besides, it was entertaining to see the great Nicky Nichols cave in to almost everything the small brunette desired. Especially when their project was due and Alex got to silently laugh to herself as the pair got up in front of the entire class and acted out a scene from Love's Labors Lost. Morello was _over the top_ , but Nichols wasn't half bad. Alex could see the sourpuss look on her face when she went up though, which made it by far the best day of Alex Vause's life.

She had waited by her locker for Nicky and Morello to change out of their costumes, prepping herself to completely lay it on Nichols. The two girls came into view and Alex grinned from ear to ear.

"Well if isn't Manhattan's hottest new star herself. Please, Miss Nichols, may I have your autograph?"

"Hey Vause, shut the fuck up," but Nicky was grinning.

Lorna stood next to her, beaming up with delight. "I thought you were real good, Nichols."

"Yeah, Nichols. So _Oscar_ worthy," Alex finished shoving her books in her locker before slamming it shut. "What are you guys doing tonight?"

"Morello's spending the night at my place."

"You gonna come?" Lorna asked.

"No, that's probably a bad idea. Besides, my mom got her shifts switched around and this is the first night she's going to actually be home since I can even remember, so she wants me home tonight with her."

"I'll call ya later, alright?" Nicky said before she and Lorna continued on down the hallway.

* * *

Lorna was excited to go spend the night at Nicky's. She had once before, about a week ago when they were putting together their project, but she was still excited as if it were the first time. She and Nicky had become fast friends. But hanging out with the other wasn't the only reason she was excited for tonight. She was thankful to get the chance to escape her house. Nicky's place was so different compared to the Morello household. It was quiet and cool and big. Nobody yelled at Nicky's apartment, or ordered anybody around. She loved her family, but they were frustrating and when she went to Nicky's, she felt a heavy weight being pulled off her shoulders. It was like entering into a whole different world.

She had run home to grab some of the things she would need for the night. She hurried as quick as she could, knowing that Nicky was waiting for her, and knowing that Franny would be home any second. She didn't feel like telling her sister everything she thought she and Nicky might be doing tonight, so she opted to get in and out as quick as possible.

When she got to Nicky's they had decided to order a pizza and put on some of Nicky's CDs. Nights were getting colder, so roaming on the town didn't even sound appealing. Lorna had already been shivering when Nicky opened the door for her.

Later, Nicky had asked Lorna what she wanted to do that night and Lorna immediately perked up. She stood and went over to the pile of things she had brought. She pulled out a DVD and the second Nicky saw what it was, the lighter haired woman shook her head and chuckled.

"I should've known."

"If this friendship is gonna go anywhere, you'll need to have seen West Side Story at least once."

"If this friendship goes anywhere I have a feeling I'll be watching West Side Story way more than just once," Nicky quipped, smiling ever so lightly.

"Come on, Nichols, you'll love it, I promise!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, kid. How 'bout we make a deal. I'll watch West Side Story, but the next movie we watch is my pick. Agreed?"

Lorna nodded excitedly and ran over to the DVD player. She put it in and sat back next to Nicky on the couch. What Nicky didn't realize was that the movie was two and a half hours long, and throughout the whole thing, Lorna sang every lyric and danced around in her seat. She had attempted multiple times to hit the high notes and Nicky thought her ears were going to bleed, as if Lorna's voice wasn't high enough. Still, through the utter torture, Nicky was smiling and laughing at how excited and cute the girl next to her was. Lorna didn't notice Nicky's constant stares; she was far too distracted with the movie she'd seen god knows how many times. There were several times as well when Lorna had finally acknowledged Nicky's presence by pressing up against her shoulder and explaining _"This is my favorite part!"_ According to Nicky's count, she had five favorite parts.

When the movie was over, Lorna immediately turned to Nicky and asked her what she thought. She had her bright red lips pressed together in anticipation.

"Yeah, y'know, it was alright. Better than I thought it'd be," Nicky had told her, whether or not it was true she wasn't quite sure. She just knew the glimmer in Lorna's face was too beautiful to crush with a lesser response.

"You wanna watch your movie now?" she'd asked, much to Nicky's surprise. She had figured the smaller girl would want at least an hour long discussion on all the pivotal moments of the musical.

"Nah, let's hold that off for later. C'mere," Nicky began to stand up and walk over to the fridge. Lorna instinctively followed her. She pulled out two bottles of beer and smugly grinned. Lorna laughed.

"And just where'd ya get those, Nichols?"

"Hey, don't question my genius, a'ight? You want one or not?"

Morello grabbed one and they both opened opened up and took a swig. Lorna's face twisted and she coughed, setting it back down on the counter behind her.

"What? Never had one before?" Nicky smirked, taking another drink of hers.

"Oh, sure. Lots of times. At parties, y'know," she attempted to defend her reaction.

"Yeah okay." And they retreated to the couch, beers in hand.

They sat and talked and listened to music. At some point, the talking and sitting turned into just lying there, staring up at the ceiling as the music filled up the apartment. The thing they had quickly discovered was that they didn't need to talk to enjoy the company of one another. So when they got tired, they'd sit there in silence. They laid there peacefully and thought to themselves what a wonder it was to have become friends with one another so quickly. Lorna thought it was fate that Luschek had decided to place them together. Nicky knew it wasn't, but secretly she had been thankful to Vause for forcing her to step up and make her move with Morello.

Eventually the two had fallen asleep. In the morning, Nicky was the first up. The sun shone through the window and hit directly on Morello's fair skin. At some point in the night, she had gotten up to take her make-up off and although Nicky had seen her without make-up once before, it was still abundantly shocking to her how different Lorna looked without cherry bright lips and brown eye shadow. It wasn't a bad different, in fact, Nicky thought she was absolutely stunning without all that. Perhaps it was the sun glistening off her skin or the delusional haze Nicky was in from just waking up, but she felt something was very different to all the other girls Nicky had tried to hook up with before. This feeling Nicky had for Lorna was much stronger than any of that. She wasn't quite sure what it was, because she had never felt it before. But this girl before her was the purest thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

Morello's eyes flickered open as if she felt Nicky's stare. The sun reflected the smaller girl's chocolate brown eyes as they shifted to look at Nicky. She laughed as she saw Nicky's hair, which somehow became more tangled and wild over the night. She had to lift her hand to cover her mouth as she giggled more and more.

"What?"

"Your hair," Lorna replied through giggles. "You sure somethin' doesn't live up there?"

Nicky rolled her eyes and laughed. "Hey, man, that's not fair. How come I wake up looking so fucking hilarious, but you wake up looking smoking hot?"

Lorna shrugged her shoulders and kept a smug grin on her face. "You think I look hot?" her voice hinted with genuine curiosity.

Nicky pushed out her bottom lip with her tongue and nodded, still staring at the girl who hadn't sat up yet.

Suddenly, an overcoming sensation came over Nicky and she leaned over Lorna, connecting their lips. Lorna was shocked, but she didn't pull away. In fact, Nicky could've sworn she felt her kiss back. This was the first time they had ever done anything like this. Nicky had begun to value their friendship too much to fuck it up, but in this moment, she couldn't stop herself. This moment was just too perfect. Lorna was too perfect.

She pulled back after a few seconds and they stared at each other in silence for another couple of beats. Then Nicky got up and headed into the living room, calling out behind her, "I'll order something for breakfast."

Early in the afternoon, Lorna had to go home to help her sister at the house. She hadn't mentioned the kiss with Nicky and they managed to get through the morning without letting it affect them. It didn't make anything weird, which Nicky was thankful for. But it did make things confusing. Lorna had never thought of Nicky that way, but now her mind was reeling. Questions she never thought she'd ask herself about a friend started clouding all her thoughts. And Nicky couldn't believe what an idiot she felt like. It was the first time she was _nervous_ in this situation. She was nervous about the way her heart pounded in her chest when they had kissed. Nervous about how Lorna felt or if it freaked her out. If it did, she didn't make it obvious, which was probably _worse_. After Lorna had left, Nicky scolded herself and went out onto the balcony. It was a little chilly, but the sun was warm, so it was a bearable chill. Nicky decided right there she wasn't going to tell Alex about the kiss.

* * *

 **Author's note:** I'm so sorry there wasn't a chapter posted yesterday. I wasn't feeling good, so I just sort of slept all day. Also, I know I skipped ahead a bit in this chapter. I just felt like a small time jump was needed. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned because the game has only just begun!


	5. I Love You So Much

"Come on, Morello, would ya hurry up?" Nicky turned around for a brief second to eye the girl who was trailing behind her, buried beneath a heavy coat and scarf.

"Relax, Nichols. It ain't like the shop's goin' anywhere."

"Yeah, but the longer it takes to get there the more time there is for you to go all puppy dog and talk me outta this."

Lorna furrowed her eyebrows, stopping for a second to catch her breath. Jogging around New York City with the bitter cold nipping at your skin wasn't very fun. "What're you talkin' about?"

Nicky sighed and grabbed Lorna's arm, pulling her back into a hustling trot. "Would ya just come on?"

It had been a couple weeks since their kiss. Neither of them had mentioned it to each other - or anyone else. Nicky had kept her promise to herself to not tell Vause. But despite the kiss, things didn't get awkward between them. In fact, in the past few weeks, they had grown even closer as friends. Nicky was thankful. It was like the kiss never even happened; therefore she didn't fuck up as badly as she thought.

Now, she was dragging Lorna to a tattoo parlor after somehow convincing the smaller girl they should get tattoos together.

Lorna had finally caught up to Nicky and was walking by her side. "I dunno, Nick. My parents are gonna flip if they hear 'bout this."

"So they won't hear. Get it where no one'll see it," Nicky poked Morello's side, right where she knew she was ticklish. Lorna jumped back and laughed.

"Alright, alright."

This wasn't Nicky's first rodeo, she had mastered the technique of forging signatures on permission slips and thankfully this place didn't care enough to investigate any further. Lorna had chosen a heart on the left side of her rib cage, whereas Nicky had chosen a cross on her right arm, a simplified version of the one around Lorna's neck.

"Ain't that a little obvious?" Morello asked as she watched her friend's permanent markings began to form.

"You're forgettin' I don't have anybody that gives a shit."

"What about Red?"

"It's a tattoo, kid. It's not a big deal. And if Red does freak, I'll remind her about her three other dumb fuck kids and all the stupid shit they do on a regular basis. One little tat won't seem so bad then."

Lorna laughed and shook her head lightly. Nicky was so different to most people Lorna hung out with. She was unbelievable. And yet, Lorna never felt more herself than when she was with Nicky. It was refreshing to be around someone who made her feel free.

* * *

Later that night, Lorna was stretched out across Nicky's lap as the two relaxed on the couch in the Nichols apartment. Lorna had her shirt pulled halfway up and was twisting around to try and get a good look at her new permanent memory. And while Nicky enjoyed the sight of Morello's smooth skin being exposed in front of her and how cute she was every time she went to look at the heart as red as her lips, she couldn't help but laugh and tease her.

"Y'know it'll still be there in the morning, right? That's kinda the point of these things."

"It looks nice, right?"

"It looks great, kid," Nicky said as she lightly trailed her fingers around the sensitive skin, making sure not to touch the wound yet. Morello got goose bumps at the gentle traces and she could tell Nicky had noticed them. She quickly replaced her bandage and pulled her shirt down, the first time it had been down in an hour, and sat up, nervously tucking her hands under her arms.

"Is it just me or is it gettin' a little chilly in here?"

"I think it's just you. Although my lap's a little cold now."

Nicky reached back and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch down. She spread it over Lorna who huddled closer to Nicky so they could both be under it.

* * *

"Jesus, Morello, I never would've had you pegged as the tattoo type," Alex teased before class the following Monday.

"Hey, I'm _very_ rebellious." Morello seemed serious, but Alex laughed.

"What's so funny?" Nicky asked as she sauntered her way into the classroom; late to the party, as always.

"Morello's been telling me about what a badass she is."

"Oh yeah, one tattoo and she's suddenly James fucking Dean."

"I can hear ya, y'know?" Alex chuckled again, but this time Nicky joined her. They could tell Lorna was enjoying it as much as they were, however, because despite her irritated roll eye, she was grinning.

* * *

At the end of the day, Nicky and Alex waited patiently outside of the theatre door like always. They stood and chatted until the door flew open and Morello came rushing out.

"Guess what, Nichols!" Lorna was practically jumping up and down; Nicky almost felt the urge to put her arms around her to get her to stand still. "Guess what the play's gonna be this year!" She had now started dancing in her place. Nicky couldn't help but crack a smile at how cute she was when she was excited.

"You got me."

"West Side Story!" Now she really _was_ jumping. "We all put in suggestions for what show we wanted to do this year and everybody liked mine!" the words danced off her tongue in a melodic tone and Nicky and Alex were convinced she was about to break out into song and dance in the middle of the hallway.

"Oh Jesus," Alex whispered under her breath from the side, pushing her glasses up to the top of her head.

"Congrats, kid." Surprisingly, Nicky was excited for her.

"Auditions are next week. Ohhhh, I'm so nervous! I have to get Maria!"

"Might need to work on the accent," Nicky joked.

Lorna grabbed onto Nicky's arms and looked up at her, almost desperately, but still ecstatic. "Will ya help me?"

" _With the accent_?"

"With everythin'! I gotta be prepared! And we worked so well togetha with our English reenactment!"

"Oh yeah, that was great," Alex quipped. She loved every second of this.

"I dunno, Morello. Song and dance ain't really my thing."

"You don't have'ta sing 'n dance. Just run some lines so I know what to do for my audition. Oh please, Nicky!"

Nicky looked between Morello, who was unintentionally pulling her sad puppy dog eyes now, and Vause, who watched on with devious amusement.

"Fine, whatever," she exclaimed with a sigh. Lorna immediately perked up again. "But rehearsals are private. You're not invited," Nicky pointed toward Alex.

" _Asshole_ ," the tall girl huffed.

* * *

"Okay, how're we gonna do this?" Nicky reluctantly questioned as Lorna made her way into Nicky's bedroom.

"Here are your lines," Lorna handed her some papers she'd printed off earlier; "We'll start with my favorite scene. You'll be Tony, of course."

"Uh, isn't that scene a little… mushy?"

"It'll be fine. After we go through it a few times, we'll take a break and I'll work on my song."

"You're gonna sing?"

"Of course, silly! It's a musical! They don't let ya be in it without hearin' ya sing first!"

Nicky shifted on her heels, suddenly hoping that every other girl who auditioned for Maria was just as, if not more, tone deaf than Morello. As stupid as she felt for thinking it, she actually hoped Lorna would get the role. Even if it meant having to help her rehearse sappy shit and having to break her record of never attending a school play in her life.

"Well, at least we know you've got the lyrics down already."

Lorna had begun to move stuff around Nicky's room to set up an impromptu stage. She was kicking clothes that were scattered on the floor aside so they'd be able to walk around better.

"Honestly, Nick, don't your housekeeper ever come in here?"

"Hey, I like to know where everything is! You're messing up my system," Nicky sporadically started picking up the clothes Morello was pushing away and tossing them onto her bed, knowing they'd inevitably end up on the floor again once this whole thing was over.

"Let's get inta character."

"Yeah, sure."

Morello closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nicky watched her with brows furrowed, but the slightest smirk folded in her lips.

"You start, wheneva you're ready."

Nicky sighed and began to read the lines.

 _"_ _I tried to stop it; I did try. I don't know how it went wrong... I didn't mean to hurt him; I didn't want to; I didn't know I had. But Riff... Riff was like my brother. So when Bernardo killed him- 'Nardo didn't mean it either. Oh, I don't know he didn't! Oh, no. I didn't come to tell you just for you to forgive me so I couldn't go to the police-"_ Lorna jumped forward, taking Nicky by surprise. " _No!_ "

" _It's easier now-"_

 _"No…"_

 _"Whatever you want, I'll do-"_

 _"Stay. Stay with me."_

The way Lorna spoke those four words were out of place to how she normally acted. It sounded so _desperate_. Nicky thought she was maybe getting better at this acting thing, but Lorna was terrified at how convincing it was to her. It was almost like she was speaking those words directly to Nicky. Pleading to never let this friendship they had, the comfort that Nicky gave her, die.

Nicky hesitated with her next line. Looking directly into Morello's eyes made it even harder to find the words. She actually felt nervous. This whole thing was a complete joke to her and she hadn't even been trying to act any of it properly, and with Lorna's over-the-top gestures this whole situation was laughable. But suddenly her heart was racing.

 _"I- I love you so much."_

Then Morello froze. Quite literally, actually, because a chill ran down her spine. She associated it with Nicky being a great actor, but something about the way she said that line was contradicting to the way she'd been saying her previous lines. Maybe she was just getting into the moment. Lorna realized she had been holding her breath and immediately sucked in a chunk of air.

The silence sliced through Nicky. She shook her hands in the air, waving off the breathless beats that had followed her character's confession.

"Okay, y'know what, this isn't really a good scene. For Maria, I mean. It's mostly about Tony. We outta work on something that's got more of her emotions in it, right?"

Lorna said nothing at first, but nodded. In a soft, quiet tone, she agreed. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Why don't we do the scene where Maria finds out about the fight? I'll be Chino." To think, it wasn't long ago Nicky didn't know a damn thing about this fucking show.

"O-okay, that's good... Yeah, let's go with that..."

* * *

They'd gone through the scene a few times and Nicky had offered some secret suggestions to Morello to fix her acting. While she wasn't aware, Nicky was able to slowly improve some of Lorna's theatrical skills. And after a while, the petite brunette had started to notice her friend growing tired of the same old scene. So, naturally, she suggested they move on to her solo.

"You sure you don't wanna just take a break? I mean, it's not like you don't know the song already."

"Even so, a little practice neva hurt!"

Well, it _might_ hurt Nicky's ears a little.

"Alright, fine. But before you start, I gotta few suggestions. To, y'know, jazz it up."

If she could improve the acting, there may be a chance with the singing.

* * *

It was Friday and Lorna had convinced Nicky and Alex to come out to see Christopher play in the school football game. Neither of them had gone to a football game and _watched_ it. Alex preferred to stay as far away as possible; she wasn't really a fan of all the testosterone and unnecessary screaming over sweaty jerks in jockstraps. Nicky would attend a game every now and then, but she preferred to sit in the parking lot and smoke pot in the back of her drug dealer's van.

Now here they were, bundled up and shivering. It was so cold that the air was foggy from visible breath released from large lungs. Lorna didn't seem affected by the cold at all, which was surprising given how tiny she was. Nicky imagined it had something to do with all the jumping around she was doing out of excitement.

"This is real fucking low, Nichols. How am I even here right now?" Alex mumbled through the scarf she'd wrapped over her mouth.

"It's one game. You can deal with it. Just hold in there till halftime. Then you'll get to see your little girlfriend in all her cheerleading glory. AND it's cold as shit out here, which means her nipples are bound to be perky as fuck. It's a good day to be you."

"You're a fucking pervert," Alex shook her head, _slightly_ amused.

"This is your fault, y'know. You started this whole thing. We wouldn't be here if you didn't have ten dollars."

"Yeah, how's that working out for you? It's been months. Face it. The game's over and you lost."

"Doesn't he look so cute in his uniform?" Lorna had leaned back, breaking up the conversation she hadn't realized was going on.

"Yeah, _adorable_ ," Nicky sarcastically replied.

Christopher was in full view as he removed his helmet and began walking off the field. The first half was over and Alex smirked to herself as the cheerleaders began to pile onto the green. Nicky's eyes were locked where Lorna's had been; on the face that she so eagerly wanted to punch. She gritted her teeth as Lorna tried to wave him down. He walked up to the girl he had earlier claimed to Nicky as his girlfriend and gave her a kiss in front of everybody.

Lorna's hand slowly fell as she watched. Nicky nudged Alex, who angrily turned to face her.

" _What?_ " she snapped.

Nicky pointed over to Christopher in the middle of his cheesy, lovey dovey make out session, and Alex's features softened.

"Holy fuck."

"Yep."

"Shit, Morello, I'm sorry," Alex actually sounded sincere.

"A-about what? I-i-it's nothing. It's not like we were datin' or anythin' like that…" but Nicky could hear the hurt in Lorna's voice. She knew this day would eventually come where Morello would have to face the fact that Christopher never intended to start something with her. But fuck, no matter how much she prepared for it, it broke Nicky's heart. She moved down to sit next to Lorna. She immediately saw how the smaller girl's eyes were swelling up as they desperately tried to fight back tears. She needed to get Lorna out of there.

"Come on, kid. Let's go get something to eat, alright?"

Lorna nodded, "O-okay. Sure."

"Hold on, you're going to leave me here?" Alex whispered to Nicky as she and Lorna began to leave.

"I'll be right back. Just stare at Chapman's perky tits and you'll be fine."

* * *

Nicky's hands gently rubbed Lorna's shoulders as they stood underneath the bleachers while Lorna sobbed. Nicky had never seen Lorna cry like this before. Sure, she'd seen her tear up when Tony died and Maria was bent over him, but this was a real, whole hearted sob that came only from real, heartbreaking experiences. This was a side of Lorna that Nicky hoped to never have to witness. She knew Christopher wasn't truly at fault, but she felt even more now the urge to bury him alive.

"I can't believe he's with _her_! She's such a slut!"

"Exactly, so fuck him. You deserve someone way better. Someone who's gonna love you the way you outta be loved. Someone who doesn't get off on easy bitches like whatsher name."

Lorna looked up at Nicky; her face stained with black lines from her makeup as it ran down her cheeks.

"I made it all up, didn't I?" she asked, her voice weak and shaky.

"No, no you just misunderstood. Everybody does that sometimes."

"I musta seemed crazy," she choked out.

"So what if you did? That's way more fun than being slutty. And besides, you're a beautiful and sweet and fun girl and you're gonna find someone who's gonna fall madly in love with you. He's just some loser high school jock. It's not the end of the world, kid, I promise."

"Who'd ever wanna fall in love with me?"

Lorna's voice sounded shredded and it completely tore at Nicky. She didn't quite realize it yet, but everything she felt in that exact moment was precisely what they had been talking about. Her mouth had opened slightly, if wanting to say something, but the words couldn't come out. She didn't know what she was going to say, her head was in a frenzy. All she could manage to do was gently press her finger against Lorna's cheek and wipe away the tears.

"Come on. I know something that'll make you forget about that fucker."

* * *

Alex had spent the past half an hour looking for any signs of Nicky or Lorna. The two had left for "food" and hadn't come back as promised. She was starting to wonder if Nicky had managed to win their bet and was off fucking Morello behind a dumpster somewhere.

As she scanned the parking lot, she passed by a van that gave off a very familiar scent. She went around to the back of it and swung the doors open, hoping to either find her friend or to find the friends of her friend who might know her current location.

The second fresh air and remnants of spotlight lit the van, the group inside hid their faces and pushed away any smoke floating in front of their faces. It was almost hysterical to Alex as she watched a bunch of potheads hit the deck.

"Chill out, jesus."

"It's okay, she's cool," Nicky reassured everyone the second she recognized Alex's voice.

"Are you fucking serious, Nichols? I thought you took off on me."

"No no, we'd neva do that," Lorna chirped before taking a hit from the joint she'd just been passed. She handed it to the guy next to her and rested her head in Nicky's lap.

"Congrats. You've found out a way to make her give you head," Alex teased.

"Cute. Why don't you climb in here and join the party, Vause. Pot's great for blue balls. How was the halftime show?"

Alex clenched her jaw. She was starting to get real sick of Nicky's jabs about Piper. She was even more sick of constantly watching Nicky destroy herself with drugs. She was seconds away from climbing in there and ripping the cigarette from her best friend's mouth when she heard a voice come from behind her.

"Who's this?" a thin man with black hair in a leather jacket was the source of the waspy sound. He seemed a little older than everybody else there, but Alex had recognized him hanging around the school before. She imagined that he attended it from time to time. He was the epitome of an Italian-Brooklyn boy.

"Nichols says she's cool," one of the dazed potheads had replied.

"Hey yo, Vinny, this is Alex. She's my friend. Don't worry," Nicky affirmed.

"Who're you? The drug dealer?" Alex questioned in an irritated tone.

"Keep your fucking voice down, alright? Jesus, I'd figure a friend of my best customer would know the fucking drill."

" _Sorry_ ," she unsympathetically snapped.

"Hey, Nichols, she okay?" Vinny had asked as he turned his attention away from Vause and pointed toward Lorna, who had fallen asleep in Nicky's lap.

"Yeah, she's fine. It's her first time, y'know?"

He nodded and went back to wherever he had magically appeared from moments ago.

"Gross," Alex murmured under her breath once Vinny had finally vacated the area.

"Hey man, don't talk shit about Vinny. He's got friends," said another one of the burnouts.

"I'm real fucking scared. Come on, Nichols. Get her head and I'll take her feet. We're getting the _fuck_ out of here."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. First I was sick, then my grandfather died, then I went on vacation, and now I'm in the process of moving. Which means I might not be able to update every day for the next week or so, but hopefully once I'm settled I will update more regularly again. In the meantime, I will try and make my chapters a little longer to make up for the time gaps. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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